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Harper is a well known industrial designer who’s career spanned from the 1930s to 1983. You’ve probably encountered a lot of his designs without even knowing it, but I’m not here to share his career designs with you, I’m here to share his paper sculptures!

After his retirement, Harper took to creating paper sculptures as a hobby to keep himself occupied. He has now (at 96 years old!) created around 300 of these sculptures, which are all on display in his own home.

Take a look at a few of them!

The owl is his last completed work, and is by far my favorite! You can see a bit more as well as acquire additional information in this article.

First thing’s first, you must hollow out a small hole for the plant to go in. I used an exacto knife to carve out the tiny hole. I carved about a half inch into the cork.

Now if you want to paint your planters, it is time. I painted about half of them just to keep it interesting. Basically just on the more ‘boring’ corks.

Once the paint is dry (if you painted), go ahead and glue a magnet to the back of each one. After the glue is dry (and I learned the hard way: waiting for the glue to dry is important) add a pinch of soil and a drop of water to the hole you carved out, then go ahead and add the tiny plant!

SO CUTE! Mine are hanging out on my fridge for now, but I think it would be cute to have some on my dry erase board!

I haven’t done a featured artist piece in some time. That partially has to do with the fact that I haven’t had a ton of time to look into new artist lately… but then I came across April Deacon.

Deacon’s works captivate and inspire me. She uses (mainly) old photographs, specifically portraits, which she finds in various stores, and then ‘resurrects’ them with acrylic paints.

She tends to use bold colors and geometric patterns in most of her work. That’s probably a lot of the reason that I love her art. Geometric is huge in my life right now!

“I collect discarded memories, then reinvent them.” -April Deacon

I also love how she goes about gaining inspiration. Deacon comes up with stories for the photograph about the people in them. She uses these stories to create her art.

” to be forgotten

perhaps the greatest tragedy to befall a human life
all of the joy and love, all of the pain and suffering, all of the memories, all of the contributions, all of the work
erased
as if those experiences never occurred, never meant anything to anyone
how many are there?
the forgotten certainly outnumber the remembered
terrifying
the possibility of living an entire life only to be forgotten

comforted
only in the knowledge that energy inhabits all of us
and
energy
does
not
die”

So I recently shared my adventrures west with you all… but really those were just the photos from my camera. There were lots of times where I didn’t have my camera with me, and thus used my phone to take photos. (plus I love doing panoramas!) I wanted to share these with you guys too! Take a look!

I must say that this trip involved a lot of driving… I wasn’t a huge fan of that. I also wish I had taken more photos of the cabin, and any at all of Denver. I do have more on my phone, so that might end up being another post!

My favorite part (scenery wise) was the Badlands hands down. You can probably tell by the amount of photos I took there! So lovely.

My favorite part (activity wise) was a tie between the cabin we stayed at in South Dakota, or Denver, Colorado. I wish I could have had more time to see Denver… we only stayed one night there. Maybe I’ll make a trip back there!

TGIF! (for serious) This week has been DRAGGING. It probably has something to do with the fact that I’m GOING ON VACATION next week… it always seems that when you’re looking forward to something, it takes forever for the time to arrive!

Anyways, I recently invested in a new flask… It was just something I felt I needed to have. However, I also felt that I needed to make it my own in some way. Hence this post!

So I’ve had these awesome paint markers for a while now. I really do use them a bunch. When I got my flask and was pondering how to be creative with it, I ultimately decided to use them to create a design!

You Need:
-A Flask
-Paint Markers
-Clear Sealer

This is a pretty straight forward DIY. Use your markers to paint a design onto the flask. I decided to go with a geometric design that also incorporated the word “meow”… mostly because I’m crazy. Obviously draw what suites you!

After the design is done, allow it to dry completely. (about an hour or so) Once the paint is dry, apply a coat of clear sealer. I did one side of my flask, let it dry, then did the other side. The sealer will ensure that your design stays on and will protect it from scratches! Be sure to follow the instructions on what ever sealer you get.

And done! Easy as pie.

I love my new little flask… it’s probably coming with me on vacation.

Speaking of vacation… I’m leaving this Sunday morning to go west. I know that’s very general, but we’re going a lot of places! (Yellowstone, Denver, Mt. Rushmore, Ect.) I’m pretty excited about it, and I plan on taking a ton of photos that I can share with you all! Follow me on Instagram for current updates! Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful week!

So I completed a small project over the weekend that I want to share with you guys!

I’m pretty into houseplants. Mostly succulents and cacti. This weekend I went into ‘get stuff done mode.’ This resulted in me re-potting all my house plants and cleaning up my little cacti gardens. I’ve had this vine type plant on my windowsill pretty much ever since I moved, and I had been thinking it would make a good candidate for a hanging piece! I had picked up a small basket I enjoyed at a thrift shop a bit ago, and had been trying to decided exactly what I wanted to do with it. It worked out perfectly for this project!

First thing I did was spray paint the basket white. I really wanted to keep the fresh, clean look of my apartment going on.

After the paint was dry, I grabbed some of my favorite mint colored yarn, and crocheted ‘straps’ directly to the basket. If you were trying to recreate this look, but don’t know how to crochet, you could easily braid some yarn and achieve something similar.

I crocheted a consistent loop over a doorway to my living room so that there wouldn’t be a knot on the top.

After that all I had to do was add the plant! I kept it in a plastic pot I also painted white, so that no dirt or water would leak through the basket.

I haven’t done one of these in a while… I’m a bit disappointed in myself for that…. but better late than never, right?

I really liked the February issue! It was pretty hard to pick my favorite projects out of this one, but here’s what I finally decided!

This is the PanAtlantic Exploration Company designed by Mayfield and Ragni Studio in Houston, TX. The thing I loved the most about this project is the combination of the organic stump furniture and artwork with the clean, white, contemporary design. The reception desk is meant to mimic a geode rock. The organic components really add a wonderful texture and variation to the space.

I also love the way the art was selected to add some color to the space, without being overpowering. The ceiling is a fantastic feature as well. The wavy ‘fins’ cover a series of power efficient LEDs. The idea was to give the feeling of being under the ocean, which adds to the organic nature theme of the space.

Another of my favorite featured projects is the The Chronicles of Catalonia. I can’t get over the way the pool is so seamlessly integrated into the house, and also how the whole set up seems so natural. It belongs in that forest just as much as the trees do! The whole design was done by Sausriballonch Architects, and is located in Santa Pau, Spain. When the homeowners purchased the home, it was a small lava stone structure. The architects dug out under it to add the dinning room and pool.

One of my favorite things about this house (besides the whole being part of nature thing) is the lighting! Maybe I’m slighting partial to it because I work in a lighting store, but that is beside the point! I’ve always felt the Artemide Castores looked a bit alien, but the way they’ve been used in this house is wonderful! They contrast the natural wood and stone finishes, but in the best way possible.

I love how the guest bathroom’s shower is completely made up of concrete. It has a great texture! (I’m a big fan of mixing textures if you didn’t notice…)

One thing that was important to the homeowners was that the architect’s keep the original home’s lava stonewalls in tact. This feature is then seamlessly incorporated into the building’s new design. Once again, I love the natural, organic attribute this adds to the space…. And also the texture! (oh surprise!)

Alrighty, my final favorite pick for this issue is the Andaz Maui resort in Hawaii by Rockwell Group. I can’t get enough of this staircase! The curve and wood grain are just phenomenal….

A factor that was important when designing this resort was to make it feel like… well…. Hawaii. What better way to do that than by including a lounge area with sand?? I would love to sit there with my feet in the sand while sipping something tropical. I also enjoy the walnut beams on the ceiling, and all the vertical elements that were included in the design.

This image is of one of the villas. I really like the textures added with the wool rug and the lighting fixture over the table!

The pendants in the business center are amazing….

So are the ones over the kitchen islands in the event center. I also love the large wood grain in the cabinets!

Okay, moving onto my favorite new products!

1Chiaozzo’s Geometric Shelving:
I’ve been pretty big on geometric patterns lately. I love these shelves! They’re made up of different kinds of painted wood, and come in such fun colors!

3.Tai Ping’s new Chroma Collection:
I’ve been pretty into watercolors lately. I love how messy and abstract they can be while still feeling so light. These rugs are just wonderful.

Well, there you have it! Be sure to check out Interior Design Magazine’s website for more information on any of the things I talked about in this post!

On a completely unrelated note, The Whale’s Endeavor’s has been featured on the wonderful Jillian’s blog, ReFashionista, as a Reader Refash! Her blog was a huge inspiration for me, so I suggest you check her out!

So lately I’ve been working a bit on re-branding myself. At least from a professional standpoint. I just felt that it was time to freshen things up. I wanted my new look to be cleaner and less cluttered, while still being me and being fun.

I’m pretty fond of how it turned out. It was a somewhat long process with a lot development from where I started. I did get some help from my graphic design friend Matt Tout. For serious he’s awesome.

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Welcome!

Hi!
My friends call me the whale.
My real name is Sondra.
I like to be creative. Scratch that. Being creative is my life.
I'm an interior designer. I love to thrift.
I sew, crochet, cook, craft, paint... I do a lot of things.
This blog is a documentation of some of my endeavors.
I hope it inspires you to do something creative as well!
-The Whale